Overstretched hospital cleaning staff are being forced to clean as many as four wards in just one hour, according to a report published today.

The Unison report, published today to coincide with its conference on hospital cleaning, reveals the legacy of cutting back the number of cleaners over the past two decades, at a time when concern over the rates of hospital acquired infections is at an all-time high.

It backs a previous Unison report published earlier this month which blames the spread of the MRSA hospital superbug on a 45% cut in cleaning staff since the NHS allowed the private sector to compete for the work in the 1980s.

Staff report having to "rush" their work because of inadequate staffing levels, with many concerned at the potential for cross-infection caused by the lack of time and cleaning equipment at their disposal.

"I could go straight from cleaning the toilets to giving out teas; I can't change my uniform," one cleaner commented.

One part-time cleaner said they were expected to clean the toilets, side rooms and bathrooms in four wards within one hour. On evening shifts they were expected to cover up to six wards and had been "warned" not to speak to the press about the unsatisfactory situation.

Minimal sick pay also meant staff would come into work when experiencing a cold or flu, despite the advice of infectious control nurses.

A lack of regard and respect were also noted. One respondent recounted how cleaning staff were not told when a patient presented with an infectious disease, while healthcare staff were "gowned up" to prevent the spread of infection to themselves and others.

A recurring theme was the lack of staff available to deliver appropriate cleaning standards. One housekeeper described how her trust was operating with half the number of staff required to deliver good cleaning standards.

With inadequate cleaning repeatedly cited as one of the culprits of hospital-acquired infections and MRSA, the union's report gives voice for the first time to the cleaners themselves.

It follows figures revealed last month by health minister Lord Warner which found that fewer than half the hospitals in England have good or excellent cleanliness ratings.

According to spot checks by teams including local health officials and patient representatives, just three, all mental health units, were judged "unacceptable", but a further 24 were "poor". All but nine were contracted out to the private sector.

The figures for 1,184 hospitals were published as the Department of Health issued guidance on tackling superbugs, of which the most notorious, MRSA, is blamed for 5,000 deaths a year.

The poor quality provision by some private contractors has prompted new government guidance, published today, which provides a best practice guide on evaluating and awarding contracts so that quality is considered alongside price.

The Unison general secretary, Dave Prentis, called for cleaning to be brought back in-house, and for better training and partnership between healthcare and cleaning staff to help combat infection rates.

"Hospital cleaners are the real experts and they say we need more staff, better equipment, proper training, effective teamwork and greater involvement in decision making.

"The impossibility of trying to clean too many wards with not enough staff, the cheap disinfectants, the shoddy equipment, the lack of training and sadly the lack of respect from other staff, are all barriers to cleaner hospitals."